About Me

I have spent the first half of my career
as a pastor of the church, and the second half as a teacher in the university and the church. I experience much satisfaction working in both worlds. As I engage in ongoing research to support my third activity which is writing, I am constantly finding many interesting items on the net and from friends which I edit and share on my Colleagues List. That way, you too might enjoy information from the worlds of religion and culture. As of September 2016, this profile has received almost 1,800 hits.
Thanks for your interest!
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Saturday, February 7, 2015

Colleagues List, February 8th, 2015

Vol. X. No. 26

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GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPECANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

Wayne A. Holst, EditorMy E-Mail Address:waholst@telus.netColleagues List Web Site:http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com"Quicklinks" are included with many itemsat the beginning of this issue. To get a morecomplete picture, however, scroll down tofind your special selection in the body ofthe blog.*****Dear Friends:This week I introduce the last book -published during his lifetime - of afriend and colleague, Marcus Borg.You know I will endorse:"Convictions - How I Learned What Matters Most"http://tinyurl.com/p7lpal9http://tinyurl.com/mfpn728

"Canadians Now Allowed Doctor-Assisted Suicide" -History was made this week in Canadian medical legislation; noted also in the Lorna Dueck items, above (Global News, Globe and Mail)http://tinyurl.com/nb478cl

"Americans Believe in Science - Just Not its Findings" - An interesting article on how many Americans live with science and faith contradictions (The Atlantic Online)http://tinyurl.com/k5tv7h9--Wisdom of the Week:Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online -Henri Nouwen, Crowfoot, Kaliistos WareJohn Chrysostom, Pandita Ramabai andSoren Kierkegaard share their insightsPlease scroll down to read them.--On This Day:From the archives of the New York Times -"George VI Dies; Elizabeth II Succeeds Him"http://tinyurl.com/b85jj85"Germany Beaten in WWII Battle of Stalingrad"http://tinyurl.com/4e378r9--Closing Thought - Frederick DouglassPlease scroll to the end of the blog to read him.(end)If you are interest in our programs please scroll to the end of the blog.Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual DevelopmentACTS Ministry Programs at St. David'sand at the University of Calgary

On the occasion of his 70th birthday, the renowned Marcus J. Borg shares his "convictions" about Christianity and America, contending that they are both at their best when they focus on hope and transformation, and shares his thoughts on how American Christians can return to what matters most.Reflecting on what matters most, both for the church and for Americans, leading biblical scholar and premiere teacher for Protestant churches, Marcus Borg surveys the most significant conversations andpersonalities that shaped his life, and presents his convictions about the faith and it's role in the twenty-first century.

Meditating on what makes us feel at home, he calls all American Christians to reject divisiveness and exclusivity and create communities that celebrate joy, possibility, and renewal. Throughout, he reflects on what matters most, bringing to earth the kingdom of God Jesus talked about and transforming our relationships with one another.--Marcus Borg Web-Backgrounder:http://tinyurl.com/mfpn728Publishers Weekly Talks with Marcus Borg:"Overturning Common Christianity"http://tinyurl.com/p7lpal9

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Author's Words:This book is personal and more than personal. It is the product of turning seventy and reflecting on my life at that milestone - my memories, conversions, and convictions. More than personal: the convictionsthat have emerged in my life seem tobe important for Christians moregenerally, especially for AmericanChristians.What does it mean to be Christian and American today? To be Christianand to live in the richest and most powerful country in the world, oftencalled "the American Empire" and not only by critics but also by champions? And to be both at a time of deeply divided American Christianity?If what I have to say is relevant toChristians who live in other parts of the world, so be it. I hope it may be so.My academic study of Christianitybegan about fifty years ago becauseof a passionate intellectual interest.For the past three decades... my intense intellectual interest has alsobeen combined with a passion forcommunicating what my study ...might mean for Christians in our timeand place.What might the things we can knowabout the Bible, Jesus, and the Christianpast mean for Christians today? Andwhat should they mean?Some of what I write in this book will befamiliar to people who have read someof my other books. But I trust that itis freshly expressed. And some of whatis in this book treats themes I haven'twritten about before, or at least not atlength.(I include some notes and references toother books where I developed a thememore fully. But I have not tried to loadthis book with references to show howmuch I have read in order to give moreauthority to the convictions expressed.)- from the Preface--My Thoughts:This volume contains a short, pithy, but well-crafted summary of eleven key theological/spiritual themes that have emerged from a lifetime of goodreflection, teaching and writingThese themes have become the coreconstructs of Borg's faith in God, Jesus and Christianity. He prompts a resonance in many of his readers.I can certainly accept all eleven and nowrealize how influential Borg has beenin the reshaping of my faith during the 20 years that I have been reading him.Listed below, without comment are those eleven core themes:Context mattersFaith is a JourneyGod is real and is a mysterySalvation is more about this life than an afterlifeJesus is the norm of the BibleThe Bible can be true without being literally trueJesus's death on the cross matters - but not because he paid for our sinsThe Bible is politicalGod is passionate about justice and the poorChristians are called to peace and non-violenceTo love God is to love like GodTo arrive at these core meanings(he does not like the term 'beliefs')he has studied classic Christian, aswell as modern thinking, within and beyond the Christian faith. He has also kept connected with what modernsare seeking to know and understand.He is not confined by the traditionalcreeds, but neither is he a slave tomodernity.I consider him progressive but maturein his spiritual/theological convictions.As Borg says in his preface, he writesfrom an American context but is alsohopeful that many non-Americanswill find value in what he has to say.Perhaps most importantly, he useslanguage for a progressive Christianitythat is respectful of those who do notagree with him, but who are willingto engage in constructive, hopeful dialogue.This proved to be the author's lastpublished book (at least in hislifetime) and is a worthy summationof his thought. It is a refresher forthose who read him again, and a good summary of his life's work for those who meet him for the first time."Convictions" will certainly hold aspecial place in my library.--Buy the book from Amazon.ca:http://tinyurl.com/ond49dx

Comment on Colleagues List, February 1st, 2015 edition -Wisdom of the Week:"Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chain of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness."

- Corrie Ten Boom

Wayne, when I read your Corrie Ten Boom quote about forgiveness I
was reminded of the book "A House in the Sky" by Amanda Lindhout and Sara
Corbett (Scribner 2013). It's a shocking memoir illustrating the power of
forgiveness in a most unforgettable way.

Waiting is not a very popular attitude. Waiting is not
something that people think about with great sympathy. In fact, most people
consider waiting a waste of time. Perhaps this is because the culture in which
we live is basically saying, “Get going! Do something! Show you are able to make
a difference! Don’t just sit there and wait!” For many people, waiting is an
awful desert between where they are and where they want to go. And people do not
like such a place. They want to get out of it by doing something.

- Henri Nouwen--What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of
a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.

- Crowfoot--

The whole person is a person who is on the one side open to
God, and on the other side open to other people. It has been said that there is
no true person unless there are two entering into communication with one
another. The isolated individual is not a real person. A real person is one who
lives in and for others. And the more personal relationships we form with
others, the more we truly realize ourselves as persons.

- Kaliistos Ware--

Tell me then, how is that you are rich? ... The root and origin of it must
have been injustice. Why? Because God in the beginning did not make one person
rich and another poor. He left the earth free to all alike.

- John
Chrysostom--People must not only hear about the kingdom of God, but must see it in actual
operation, on a small scale perhaps and in imperfect form, but a real demonstration nevertheless.

*****CLOSING THOUGHT - Frederick Douglass American AbolitionistI prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence. (end)